WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: The House Natural Resources Committee unanimously passed the Tribal School Federal Insurance Parity Act (H.R. 895), which was introduced by U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) earlier this year. This legislation would amend Section 409 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to clarify that tribal grant schools are eligible to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) progra  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following floor statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Dec. 17, recognizing Valley Queen Cheese factory: It is my pleasure to name Valley Queen Cheese Factory of Milbank, SD as the Senate Small Business of the Week. Valley Queen Cheese is a prime example of the important role small businesses play in their local economies and communities. In 1929, Alfred Nef and Alfred Gonzenbach decided Milbank, SD was   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following statement on Jan. 15 on attended the signing of phase one of a trade agreement between the U.S. and China at the White House: "The 'phase one' deal signed today is great news for South Dakota farmers, ranchers and manufacturers. "Under this agreement, China has agreed to purchase at least $40 billion of our agricultural products. This will provide some much-needed relief to our farmers and ranchers who have been at t  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following statement: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) voted in favor of ratifying the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). "I voted in favor of the USMCA trade deal, which will expand trade opportunities for South Dakota's farmers, ranchers and manufacturers," said Rounds. "Mexico and Canada are two of our most valued trading partners. Passing the USMCA further solidifies our trade partnerships with them, and it upholds Presid  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following statement: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, voted to advance the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement to the Senate floor. The USMCA will replace the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement. "I voted in our EPW Committee to bring the USMCA to the Senate floor for a vote, so we can get this important trade agreement enacted quickly," sa  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) joined a number of his Senate colleagues to introduce a resolution designating January 16th as Religious Freedom Day. This Resolution also commemorates the Virginia Statute's for Religious Freedom's 234th anniversary, a statute that laid the foundations for the First Amendment. "Freedom to practice religion without the fear of persecution is a fundamental human right and a  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following floor statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on Jan. 15, on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement: The President will sign phase one of the trade agreement we are negotiating with China. Of particular importance to my State, phase one includes a pledge from China to substantially increase its imports of American agriculture products. That is good news for South Dakota. It is good news for farmers   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following statement: U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). "The U.S. economy continues to do well, including the most recent jobs report announcing more than 140,000 new jobs were created in December. But one industry that remains behind is agriculture. We   more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: The Republican-led Senate, the Democrat-led House of Representatives, and the president all agree: the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will modernize the longstanding trade relationship with South Dakota's top trading partners and help take us further into the 21st century. I'm relieved that after more than a year of unnecessary delay by House Democrats, the Senate recently voted 89 to 10 t  more

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.) this week introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) that are used with health savings accounts can cover care related to chronic disease management prior to a beneficiary reaching their plan deductible. The Thune-Carper bill builds off legislation they introduced in June 2019, and it follows the administration's   more